The Top 4 Most Common Golf Injuries

By: Active Sports Therapy

As golfing is a seasonal sport, people often jump into it quickly and with high frequency. Since 18 holes are the most common way to play, overuse injuries can occur. If you develop an injury, it can result in a frustrating experience out on the links as injuries affect your swing, and ultimately, your game.

The most common injuries include:

Golfers Elbow - Will cause pain and inflammation in the tendons that connect the forearm to the elbow. The pain may radiate into the forearm.

Wrist Pain - Can occur and is usually related to the wrist flexor or extensor tendons. Impingement syndrome and tendonitis can also occur.

Shoulder Pain – The lead shoulder is most often the one to be injured in a golfer with the rotator cuff is the most likely to become injured and it is often related to the style and form of the golfer's backswing.

Back Pain- In the upper, mid, or most commonly, the lower back can occur. Golf involves twisting, bending, and reaching down to get the ball out of the cup, all of which can add up to back pain for some.

Tips for Prevention

Swing Mechanics. Even the best golfers are taking 70-90 swings and putts per game. Considering that you can see how easily an overuse injury can occur. Learning proper posture from a golf pro might give you the corrections you need to prevent injury.

Avoid trying to hit the ball too hard. This is common for ‘new golfers’ as they opt for power over the form. Again, a lesson or two might teach you the proper pace required for a mechanically correct swing.

Be sure to use proper mechanics when lifting or carrying your bag, even if it’s just taking them out of the trunk of your car.

Just because golf isn’t a fast, contact sport, it doesn’t mean that you don’t have to stretch it out a bit before you play. Stretch your shoulders, chest, triceps, back, and lower body.

Here is a great resource from Golf Digest

How Can your Chiropractor Help with These Injuries?

ART stands for Active Release Techniques.  It is a new and highly successful hands-on treatment method to address problems in the soft tissues of the body, including the muscles, ligaments, fascia, and nerves.  ART treatment is highly successful in dealing with overuse injuries because it is specifically designed to locate and treat scar tissue adhesions that accumulate in the muscles and surrounding soft tissues.

By locating and treating the soft-tissue adhesions with ART, it allows the practitioner to, 1) break up restrictive adhesions, 2) reinstate normal tissue flexibility and movement, and 3) more completely restore flexibility, balance, and stability to the injured area and the entire kinetic chain.

This style of treatment can be applied to all of your common golf injuries. We can also help you to learn how to prevent further damage through exercises and stretches. Our physiotherapy area has specialized equipment to help speed healing with laser therapy and Game Ready ice machines. We can assign the proper stabilizing brace or suggest supplements if needed.

Book in today at www.activesportstherapy.ca and we’ll help you Get Back to Your Game!

Golf

What Is Muscle Activations Technique (M.A.T.)

Written by: Sarah Kuindersma, M.A.T. Specialist

Muscles power everything that we do. From getting out of bed to walking our pets, to doing house chores. All things we want to continue to do even as we age. Our muscle function is impacted by a number of different things. The common denominator is when too much stress is placed, thereby negatively impacting our body’s ability to contract and use our muscles efficiently. Examples: Diseases (ALS), illness. aging, over/underuse, injuries, surgeries, dehydration, etc.

When this communication from the brain to our muscles gets impaired how do we correct it?

This is where Muscle Activation Techniques or M.A.T. comes in.

What are Muscle Activation Techniques?

I prefer to say it in reverse. M.A.T. are techniques used to activate muscles. The key to muscle function is its ability to contract and generate force. If your brain is effectively communicating to all your muscles to do a job the task feels easy.

Picture the last time you moved. Moving a house alone or with a few friends is a daunting task, but if you had 50 movers the task would feel easy. Let’s replace moving a house with moving your body. There are about 600 muscles in the human body, imagine going from 600 workers to 300 workers. Daily tasks would feel daunting. M.A.T. techniques too.

activate muscles do just that, it activates or recruits muscles to perform their specific task making moving your body feel easy.

M.A.T. works in 3 simple steps

Step 1: Assess your current movement, the first step is to assess where the limitations are. M.A.T. practitioners do this by watching you move in a variety of different ways. Making notes of any ranges that seem impaired. 

Step 2: Activating the muscles, when there is a limit in range, it signifies at least one or more muscles that perform that action aren’t receiving the signal from the brain to contract. M.A.T. can restore this communication by manually placing pressure at the muscle attachment sites. The practitioner will repeat this process for every muscle involved with the limited movement pattern. Sometimes specific exercises are given to help coordinate the movement pattern again.

Step 3: Re-evaluate, after working on the muscles, it’s time to go back a re-assess what the limited movement pattern looks like now.

Video explaining what M.A.T. is: https://youtu.be/0-Km1EWiSrw

Who would benefit from M.A.T.?

Our goal is to help you get back to your healthy, active lifestyle while remaining pain-free. The better you move the better you feel.

If you are someone wanting to improve their performance – Not just with sports but this applies to musicians and artists too. No matter what you enjoy doing, if you spend a significant time repeating an action it will have a cost at your body’s expense. You’ll need to restore your muscle function, otherwise, it could lead to imbalances and vulnerability to injuries.

If you are someone wanting to age gracefully and with mobility – I hear this all too commonly, individuals blame their age for how they feel or move or are unable to do (insert comment here, ex. Climb a mountain). The fact our age does have an effect on our bodies, however, we usually are saying it is our age causing our bodies mobility issues, pain and stiffness, with M.A.T. you can build a strong and stable foundation to get you back to what moves you.

If you’re someone who has tried everything – M.A.T. can’t cure everything, but you’ve eliminated a lot of different reasons why your body isn’t working optimally so the chances it’s just a matter of getting the muscles working more efficiently is a lot more likely.

Want to experience how M.A.T. can make a difference in your life?

Call 4032781405 and book with Sarah Kuindersma at Active Sports Therapy today.

https://www.activesportstherapy.ca 

Welcome to March National Nutrition Month!

Written by Kira Greasley: BA, CHNC

As a Certified Holistic Nutritional Consultant I believe that every month should be nutrition month. Luckily the month of March provides us greater opportunities to educate people on how life changing eating well can be. It does not need to be expensive or complicated, but if you are struggling with knowing what is best to maintain optimal nutritional health we are here to help!

Nutrition can be a very complex and often polarizing subject, with so much information coming at us daily. However, with knowledge and focused attention, the journey towards better eating can become easier.

Here are 4 reasons as to why eating whole foods is worth the effort:

  1. Food is not only fuel for the body, our body uses food as information that communicates directly to our bodies, brain & DNA.
  2. The food we put in our bodies nurtures our gut bacteria (microbiome), allowing it to do what it  does best, which is keeping our bodies and brains healthy. Did you know that 70% of your immune system resides in your gut microbiome. This gut microbiome is responsible for your metabolism, hormonal systems, brain and levels of inflammation.
  3. Not all inflammation is bad, by nature inflammation is a protective function of our body.  However, troubles occurs when inflammation goes into overdrive and becomes chronic. Chronic inflammation is directly related to a poor diet, poor sleep, lack of exercise and chronic stress. When left unchecked, it begins to damage the body. 
  4. Did you know that sugar feeds inflammation and can decrease our immune system by 60% for up to 5 hours! In addition to sugar, other unnatural food products such as refined carbs, and vegetable oils, contribute to the cells in the body sending out SOS signals and creating free radicals. If these SOS signals and free radicals are left to their own devices, they can kill cells from the inside out. Think of free radicals like a bull in a china shop. 

From just these 4 reasons, we can see that what kind of food we put in our body is critical to our entire body functioning as it was meant to. There are many ways to minimize chronic inflammation by simply making adjustments to one's food choices. If you are interested in learning more, book in with Kira Greasley at Active Sports Therapy today, simply call she will create customized meal plans to help assist you in your journey towards better health. 

“Your fork sets you on a path that leads you to a disease or back to health”

- Dr. David Perlmutter

Follow Active Sports Therapy on Instagram and Facebook throughout the month of March to learn simple and cost effective ways to fuel your body the way it was meant to be fuelled. 

Natural Anti-Inflammatory Foods

Mindful Eating Tips For The Holiday's

Written by: Kira Greasley, BA, Nutritional Holistic Consultant,

Have you ever felt so stuffed that you could not move after one or several holiday festivities? I know I have! So for this holiday season, I am going to arm you with a few mindful eating tools, that will have you enjoying your festivities without that overstuffed feeling.

Tip #1: Size does matter. Choose the smaller plate and don’t load it up! I know this is a hard one when we are presented with so much amazing food, but trust me, this is an important one. Only take enough food to cover your plate, don’t build a mountain. You can always go back for seconds!

Tip #2: Build the colours of the rainbow with your food. This is a simple way to ensure you are getting the variety of required nutrients to nourish your body from head to toe.

Tip #3: Did you know that digestion begins with our eyes and nose? Sight and smell are the senses that activate our salivary glands. Take time to appreciate the beauty of the meal, deeply inhale the aromas, and feel gratitude for the food before you.

Tip #4: Chew your food, aiming for a minimum of 20 chews per bite (the recommended is 50). In our fast paced world, this step is often overlooked, causing large chunks of food to not be properly broken down and mixed with our saliva. This places excess strain on our guts, generating stress hormones which obstruct the production of stomach acid shutting down the digestive process, and leading to indigestion.

Tip #5: Put down your utensils after each bite as this will allow yourself time to chew instead of placing more food into your mouth. By doing this simple step, we allow our brain the time needed to catch up with the signalling from our stomachs preventing that  “overstuffed” feeling.

Tip #6: Take small sips of room temperature water as needed. Drinking too much water during a meal can dilute your stomach acid, hindering the break down of food, leading to indigestion and other issues.

Tip #7: Everything in moderation.

Here’s to a safe and happy holiday season and remember, it is never too late to set YOUR stage for LIFE!

Nutritionally Yours,

Kira Greasley

Book In With Kira today for all of your holistic nutritional needs!

The Science of the Heart

HOW THE HEART IMPACTS OUR IMMUNITY, RESILIENCE AND OUR PATHWAY TO CHRONIC DISEASE

Written by: Dr Clare Westmacott MD, CCFP-LM, MDMFHom(UK) and Carole Westmacott RN

Science has now proven that our Heart is the most energetic engine in our body and it creates an electromagnetic field around our body that can be measured up to 8-9 feet in diameter. That field not only affects us, but everyone around us and our environment. In comparison, the electromagnetic field that the brain emits only extends 1-2 inches beyond the head. How then can we use this amazing knowledge for our benefit – physically, mentally and emotionally?

HeartMath® provides easy tools and techniques that we can learn and use anytime throughout our day when needed, to create a Coherent State between the heart and brain.

So, what is Coherence and why does it matter? Coherence is an optimal state in which the heart, mind and emotions are aligned and in sync. Physiologically, the Immune, Hormonal and Nervous systems then function in a state of energetic coordination.

The HeartMath® Coherence techniques will enable you to recognize and shift from an Energy Depleting Incoherent Heart rhythm to an Energy Renewing Coherent Heart Rhythm – which is the foundation for intelligent energy management, emotional self-regulation, optimal performance and mental clarity. These techniques give control back to us. Using the HeartMath® Coherence techniques, helps you to plug energy leaks and recharge your inner battery.

Using a special app, you will be able to check in and monitor your own Coherence and Heart Rhythms – and guess what – Globally connect as well.

Please book in with Dr. Clare Westmacott MD, CCFP-LM, MDMFHom (UK) to learn more!

Toilet Posture Matters!

Written By: Ellen Rossiter, Physiotherapist,

You may not know this, you may not even want to talk about it but toilet posture matters!

Have you ever heard of a Squatty Potty? The Squatty Potty is a stool that fits nicely under your toilet ready to be used when you need it, the concept is, by lifting your legs in a higher position when you go to the bathroom it helps drain all waste most effectively! Although this may make you laugh or possibly blush, these stools are excellent for putting your body in the best position to fully relax the pelvic floor muscles to allow you to “go”. 

Our bodies were designed to pass urine or stool/excrement in a squat position. Look closely at babies or young toddlers they intuitively know this. Yet western civilization has moved away from that by raising the toilets higher. With this technological advancement our bodies have not changed how our bodies are built. Since we may prefer these methods we can make a difference in our methods by bringing the ground up! 

Many of us have never given much attention to this topic. Yet sitting on the toilet properly helps remove waste effectively reducing abdominal pain, bloating, constipation and many more benefits. Next time you take a moment in the restroom consider your positioning to see the difference.  

Best Position

-Feet planted firmly on ground (or stool!) 

-Leaning forward (forearms on knees) 

-Knees above hips (if passing stool)

Why Does This Matter? 

Relax puborectalis -this muscle wraps around the rectum, and helps us remain  continent. In order to make it relax, we need knees to be above hips! This changes the muscle angle, and allows it to release its hold around the bowel. 

Relax the rest of the pelvic floor -the rest of the muscles at the bottom of the pelvis don’t know they should relax if your feet are dangling! Planted feet help the pelvic floor and the hips to relax.  

Avoid Strain -if we don’t relax the pelvic floor and surrounding muscles, it will cause us to strain when we void or pass stool. This can lead to issues like incontinence, or even hemorrhoids.  

Muscle Learning -If we try to use the toilet without relaxed muscles, we teach the bladder or bowels that it is okay to release even if muscles are not relaxed - this can lead to or exacerbate incontinence! 

Give It a Try! 

Please note: Any stool works for this purpose, the Squatty Potty or something of the like fit nicely around a toilet.

Nutrition and Your Child Athlete

By: Dr. Gayle Maguire ND

With sports gearing up again, and the heavy demands placed on children in sports, how do you ensure your child is getting enough nutrients? There are limited tests available and generally, taking blood from children is not a desirable event for "interest-only" sake.

Basically, if your child is continuing to grow during their athletic careers and seems to have energy through the day, there is less need for concern. Children that show signs of nutrition deficiency, such as iron anemia, a plateau or decline in weight should see their doctor for an assessment.

Nutrients

Protein helps the body to rebuild and restore muscle after exercise and usually is recommended to be 10-15% of a child's caloric intake for the day. Too much protein is difficult for the body to break down and should be avoided. Carbohydrates provide the body with fast energy and should comprise about 50% of calories. "Carb-loading" is not generally needed in children, though carbs are a great pre-game/practice meal or snack. They tend to be easier on digestion than fats, which make up the rest of calories but can upset the stomach. For this reason, make sure all meals and snacks contain a small amount, balanced with carbs and protein. Encourage your child to eat a rainbow - get a variety of colours in their fruits and vegetables to cover many of the bases when it comes to vitamins and minerals. Female athletes may need to really watch their iron intake when they start menstruating, though some high level athletes may lose their period altogether so be sure to speak to your doctor for any concerns.

Fluids

Water is typically sufficient hydration for the body. Electrolyte drinks may sometimes be recommended to older athletes in strenuous activities for over an hour, especially if the child is resistant or forgetful in drinking enough water. Energy drinks are not recommended to children due to the caffeine content. Watered down juices or caffeine-free teas (hot or cold) can sometimes be used to encourage hydration, but should not be relied upon solely.

Areas of Concern

It becomes really important with children to use careful observation and language in discussing food. Negative self-image or a perceived body type for a sport can lead to disordered eating, so we are very careful not to take away too much. Instead we can talk about increasing the "good" foods instead of adding to restriction and as adult role models, should be modelling a healthy relationship with food, our bodies, and fuelling it appropriately to meet the demands we place upon it. Childhood years can be a great time to teach them to listen to their bodies and best take care of it, setting healthy patterns for their entire adult life, with or without sport.

References:

  1. Committee on Nutrition and the Council on Sports Medicine and Fitness. Sports drinks and energy drinks for children and adolescents: Are they appropriate? Pediatrics. 2011;127(6):1182-1189.
  2. Health Canada
  3. Rowland T. Fluid replacement requirements for child athletes. Sports Med. 2011;41(4):279-288.

Please book in with Dr. Gayle Maguire ND if you'd like to discuss your child's specific needs.

*This blog is not intended to officially establish a physician-patient relationship, to replace the services of a trained physician, naturopathic doctor, physical therapist or chiropractor or otherwise to be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment.

Piriformis Syndrome

By: Active Sports Therapy

Piriformis syndrome is a condition where the piriformis muscle, located in deep in the buttock, spasms and causes pain. The muscle starts at the lower spine and connects to the top portion of the femur. One other thing to note about the piriformis muscle is that it has great potential to irritate the sciatic nerve, causing numbness, tingling, and pain down the back of the leg right down into a person’s foot.

Causes of Piriformis Syndrome

While the exact cause is sometimes unknown, there are some usual suspects when it comes to identifying why one’s piriformis might begin to spasm and cause issues.

  1. Irritation of the muscle by a nearby structure such as a person’s hip, or their sacroiliac joint.
  2. Swelling of the piriformis muscle cause by injury or a considerable spasm.
  3. Tightening of the muscle for various reasons.

If you are suffering from Piriformis Syndrome, you may experience some or all of the symptoms below:

  1. Sciatica, which is characterized by pain down the back of the thigh, calf, and into the foot.
  2. Pain when walking up hill or upstairs.
  3. You may notice that your pain increases if you sit for long periods of time, go for a run or a long walk.
  4. Your hip might feel tight and lack its normal flexibility and range of motion.

Piriformis Stretches

There are a few key stretches that can help to stretch out and relax the piriformis muscle. In addition to these below, focus some time on also stretching your hamstrings and hip flexors.

  1. Lying on your back, place both feet on the floor with both knees bent. Pull one knee up to your chest grasping it with the opposite hand and pulling your knee gently toward the opposite shoulder. ie you’re pulling your right knee toward your left shoulder using the left hand. Alternate sides and work your way up to holding for 30 seconds. You might only be able to hold for 5-10 seconds at first, but aim to increase the count each day. It will get easier!
  2. For the next stretch, again lay on your back with both knees up. Cross your right leg over so that your right ankle rests on the left knee. Pull your left thigh toward your chest and hold for 30 seconds.

If you suspect you might have piriformis syndrome, it’s important to see your doctor or chiropractor to be properly assessed so that you can begin a course of treatment immediately. Treatments might include deep tissue massage, IMS, active release therapy, TENS, Shockwave Therapy, and physical therapy. Injections are sometimes prescribed as well when the issue is more severe.

Please get in touch here if you are looking for help. Our team will be happy to setup an appointment for you. The earlier you start treatment, the sooner you’ll see results!

*This blog is not intended to officially establish a physician-patient relationship, to replace the services of a trained physician, naturopathic doctor, physical therapist or chiropractor or otherwise to be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. 

Muscle Activation Technique (MAT) Are Poor Movement Patterns Holding You Back?

By: Sarah Kuindersma MATm, PTS

Do you feel like your daily movement patterns don't feel quite right? Have you caught yourself saying man I feel old, or my body just doesn't do that anymore?

Did you know you can change the way you feel and move? Active Sports Therapy is proud to have a certified Muscle Activation Techniques Master Specialist who specializes in helping patients correct poor movement mechanics.

What is MAT?

Muscle Activation Techniques MAT is an exercise based technique that assess and corrects poor movement patterns and inefficient neural muscle firing within the body that can contribute to poor posture, joint tenderness and muscular pain.

How does it work?

MAT first identifies where there are imbalances in the body, then helps restore proper function through manual palpation and specific exercises. These imbalances are muscle compensations triggered through trauma, exercising with improper form or overall fatigue and stress to the system. Certain body parts compensate for other weaker body parks. Essentially, following an injury or too much stress, muscles can shut down neurologically which forces other muscles to work overtime. This is known as muscle compensation patterns. These patterns can continue after the injury is no longer a problem which can contribute to pain or postural abnormalities post-rehab for the initial injury/stressor.

What’s the goal?

The primary goal of MAT is to reduce pain and tension in overworked muscles, which become damaged and fatigued due to learned compensation patterns. Soft tissue manipulations can help to stretch painful or tight areas and even correct posture, but if the tightness quickly returns it means the body has built this compensatory pattern that needs to be re-taught the proper way to function to have a longer lasting result. Without addressing the underlying cause the pattern will continue.

History

MAT's® corrective movement system was first created by Greg Roskopf in 1999. He created this unique system of precise muscle tests and adjustments to help correct muscle and movement memories that were stored in the brain region that’s responsible for learned motor control.

Book a Free 15 Minute Meet & Greet

If you are interested in finding out more if MAT can help you move better call AST and book a free 15 minute meet and greet with Sarah Kuindersma to learn more. Connect with us via our contact page here.

Active Release Therapy for Sciatica

By: Active Sports Therapy

Sciatica is a pain syndrome that is caused when the sciatic nerve is compressed by muscles located within the pelvis. The sciatic nerve branches from the lower back, through your hips and buttocks, and then it heads down each leg.  A person with symptoms of sciatica might experience the following:

The pain is often one-sided, and extends from one’s lower back down through the leg, and, in some cases a person may feel they symptoms all the way down to their toes. This usually is dependent on where exactly the sciatic nerve is being affected.

Causes of Sciatica

The main causes of sciatica are:

Treatments

At Active Sports Therapy, one treatment we use for sciatica is Active Release Therapy/Active Release Techniques®. To help with sciatica, ART can be helpful in that it can break up adhesions and scar tissue, as well as reduce any muscle spasms that are contributing to the problem. This will help to take the pressure off of the neve, allowing the symptoms to ease and often resolve. The practitioner will treat the soft tissue of the area by using a hands-on treatment that uses pressure and movements to work on the tendons, muscles, and fascia associated with your issue.

In addition to Active Release Therapy, acupuncture and cupping can also help relieve the symptoms of sciatica. For a deeper look into sciatica, please visit Dr. Corey Finan's blog, The Many Faces of Sciatica.

What You Can Do to Help With Your Sciatica Problem

  1. Maintain a healthy body weight.
  2. Take regular stretching breaks if you have an occupation that requires sitting. Stand up, move around, and employ some stretches that specifically target tight muscles that can lead to sciatic pain such as the piriformis.
  3. Exercise and working to build strong core and back muscles will improve your posture and in turn allow your body to move and sit in a more proper way, taking some of the pressure off of the sciatic nerve.
  4. Use ice and heat as needed. Alternating ice and heat can help bring some relief to sciatica sufferers. Remember that ice is anti-inflammatory and heat provides relaxation and increased blood flow. You will need both to combat this pain as opposed to just heat alone.
  5. Try laying on your back on the floor with a pillow under your knees. The floor is better than laying in a soft bed because of the support that it will provide.

Please give us a call if you are looking for help with your sciatica at 403-278-1405. Our team will be happy to setup an appointment for you. The earlier you start treatment, the sooner you’ll see results!

*This blog is not intended to officially establish a physician-patient relationship, to replace the services of a trained physician, naturopathic doctor, physical therapist or chiropractor or otherwise to be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment.